


Running Away Doesn't Save the Day

by Rivulet027



Category: Power Rangers Samurai, Power Rangers Wild Force
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-18
Updated: 2011-04-18
Packaged: 2017-10-18 08:24:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/186901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rivulet027/pseuds/Rivulet027
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post 'Test of the Leader' Jayden realizes that running away from his problems isn’t the best solution, but it takes running into several former rangers trying to save Cole (Deker) for him to realize this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Running Away Doesn't Save the Day

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Power Rangers. It's not my toy box and I'm merely playing.
> 
> A/N: This is a PRS fic, but it also draws from Zeo, SPD, Jungle Fury, Wild Force and Mystic Force. A huge thank you to everyone that let me stress to them about this fic. There is angst in this fic, chars being hurt and a char (Deker, but not Cole) dying.

Jayden paused when Deker stepped out in front of him. Here? Now? Jayden dropped his bag and squared his shoulders, relieved for a moment that his teammates wouldn’t be involved with this battle. A woman stepped out in front of him. She wore a yellow vest and had blonde hair, but was taller than Emily. Why did her vest say ‘Soaring Eagle’ on the back?

“This isn’t the red you want,” she glared.

Jayden frowned. What did she mean?

“Step aside,” Deker told her, “My battle is not with you.”

The woman smirked, “Your battle isn’t with him either. Do you really think destroying this red will destroy the red you remember being?”

Deker tilted his head as Jayden took a step back, wandering if he’d been battling a former red ranger the entire time.

“I am Deker.”

“Sure you are, Do I need to punch you in the stomach again, Cole?”

Deker frowned, giving her a puzzled look, as a young man in a blue vest stepped out of the woods to stand near the woman in yellow.

“Max,” she glared, “What are you doing here?”

“Helping, trying to be productive instead of falling apart?” Max tried, before he squared his shoulders and declared, “Never give up.”

The woman in yellow rolled her eyes before she commented, “I liked you the last time you lost your memory better. The whole cutesy down on the farm thing worked for you.”

Deker’s frown slowly moved towards an annoyed look.

“Yeah,” Max commented, “The whole stealing Merrick’s look is just weird. Are you running around in a wolf mask too?”

Deker reached for his sword. Jayden reached for his morpher, but the woman just shook her head, “We brought a wolf, if that helps?”

A man in a purple uniform dropped down from a low hanging tree branch and waved as he stood up, “Just here to say why destroy the world you already saved?”

Jayden took another step back. How had he not noticed the man in the tree? A man in a green vest, wearing a cape stumbled out of a nearby tree with another man wearing black. Jayden frowned as the man in green sank to his knees and pulled out a phone that looked more like a morpher.

“I managed five,” he said into his phone.

“So I might be the wrong wolf,” the man in purple commented as he ducked away from Deker’s sword.

“RJ!” Max called out. The woman in yellow grabbed Max by the arm to keep him from moving forward. Max shook her off with a glare, “Taylor.”

Taylor squared her shoulders and moved towards where Deker and RJ were trading blows. They seemed evenly matched now that Deker had put his sword away.

“Still maintain I’m the wrong wolf,” RJ commented.

“Merrick’s been missing,” Taylor said, “Alyssa’s in a coma and the group Danny ran off with to capture Mirloc has disappeared. Just because your team is in shambles is no reason to lose your mind and go evil.”

Deker turned towards her, blocking a blow from RJ, before RJ stepped back. As Deker moved towards Taylor he told her, “But it did create a weakness, enough for me to slip inside and take over. Cole is gone. Deker is all that’s left.”

As Deker and Taylor began to fight the man in green commented, “Think we should get in there and help?”

“Taylor’s got it,” the man in black said, “Besides you wore yourself out Xander.”

Jayden frowned, not quite sure what was going on. Wasn’t this his battle? Were they all former rangers who knew Deker when he was Cole? Jayden turned as the man in black stepped towards him.

“Normally we don’t interfere, we let new teams handle their own dilemmas, but we need Cole back,” he commented before he held out a hand, “I’m Adam.”

“Jayden,” he said as they shook hands.

Another man stepped in to fight Deker as Taylor stepped aside. RJ joined them, “Leanbow might be a better choice of wolf for this.”

“I’ve been where you are,” Leanbow told Deker, “You can fight this.”

“He’s mine,” Deker glared, “He was the only one with the right lineage.”

Lineage? Jayden’s eyes widened. Could Cole be from a ranger family as well? He never got to voice his question. Two yellows came out of a nearby tree and were quickly introduced as Chip and Tanya. Tanya moved to take Adam’s hand as Chip disappeared into the tree.

“How are we doing?” Tanya asked.

“Too early to tell,” Adam commented.

Jayden turned as two more people, both in pink came through the tree and the young woman with the cape disappeared back into the tree before she could be introduced. Max swayed and Taylor caught him.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Taylor told him.

“Dana can complain at me later,” Max gasped.

Taylor lowered him to the ground, “I’m surprised you got past Dr. Felix.”

“Never underestimate a determined ranger,” Max told her, “Had to see if I could help.”

There were more people, all color coded. Deker had stepped away from Leanbow, he’d drawn Uramasa. One of them would be hurt protecting him and trying to get to Cole.

“Stop!” Jayden told them, “This is my battle.”

As Jayden stepped forward, moved towards Deker, and Leanbow stepped back he heard someone comment, “So very red.”

Jayden pushed aside the want to comment and pulled out his morpher. He drew his red ranger symbol and instead of stepping into it he pushed it at Deker, searching for the red ranger he now knew was inside.

The world went white.

Jayden frowned as he found himself in a clearing he’d never seen before. As he began to sit up a young man wearing a red vest pulled him to his feet, “I’m Cole, welcome to the Animaria.”

“I don’t think this is Animaria,” Jayden told Cole after he’d shaken his hand and given his name.

“I know, but it looks like the Animaria. We need to figure out how to get you out of here.”

“Do you know where we are?” Jayden asked.

“My head. I think.”

“You’re a lot more cheerful than Deker.”

“Thanks,” Cole grinned.

“We need to figure out how to get both of us out of here,” Jayden told him.

Cole frowned and stared down at his hands, “I have to fight him.”

“Him?” Jayden questioned.

Cole looked away, “We should find a way to get you out of here.”

“You need to get out of here.”

“How’s my team?” Cole asked.

Jayden frowned. Why did it feel as though Cole’s actions would hinge on his response?

“Trying to get you back,” Jayden told him.

“No, they’re ruined. I wasn’t able to protect them and now, they’ve suffered,” Cole managed before he shook his head and started to walk away.

“You can’t just run away from your team,” Jayden yelled as he ran to catch up, “They need you.”

Cole stopped, looked him over and asked, “Really?”

Jayden shook his head, “This isn’t about me.”

“Isn’t it?”

“This is about you.”

“My head,” Cole told him, “My choice if I battle or not.”

Jayden watched as Cole started to walk away again. Was he stuck here? Would he be able to help his team? His team…he’d run away. The thought of them protecting him was too much, especially when he had many secrets that he wasn’t comfortable revealing to them.

He couldn’t run away, Jayden realized. They would find him and he’d possibly put them in more harm by making them chase him down.

“Never give up,” Jayden echoed Max, “He collapsed and he still wanted to help. He was there.”

Cole stopped, “I know.”

“Then you also know how many other rangers showed up to help,” Jayden pushed as he joined Cole. He touched Cole’s shoulder, “They need you.”

Cole shook his head and stared at the ground.

“I need to get back to my team,” Jayden continued, “And I can’t do that without you.”

Cole nodded.

“Okay, so who do we fight?”

“I fight Deker,” Cole told him, “but he has a sword and I just have really good hiding places.”

Jayden pulled out his morpher and handed it to Cole, “I have a sword.”

Cole took the morpher and turned it over in his hand. Jayden’s eyes widened as it slowly changed. Cole smiled as he reminded, “My head. My rules. This is a growl phone. Wild Access!”

Jayden’s eyes widened. He’d only ever seen his teammates morph. Jayden smiled as he realized he recognized the suit, “You’re the red from Turtle Cove?”

“I was.”

“You are.”

Cole nodded, then pulled out his Crystal Saber. His hand went back down to his side and he lifted Jayden’s Spin Sword. Deker stepped out of the shadows, “You think you’re worthy?”

Cole and Jayden turned. Cole stepped forward, “I think you’ve watched one too many episodes of Highlander.”

Deker tilted his head with a frown before he drew Uramasa. Jayden stepped back, trying to stay out of the way as the two battled. Jayden quickly realized that Cole wasn’t as experienced with using a sword as Deker, but he seemed to make up for that with enthusiasm. Jayden began calling encouragement, he wanted to make suggestions, but knew that wouldn't help. Deker began to taunt.

“My head,” Cole growled, “You’re only here because I haven’t kicked you out yet.”

“I’m here because you couldn’t get rid of me,” Deker sneered.

“Couldn’t?” Cole questioned, “This is my first time trying.”

“You will fail,” Deker told him, “And then I will battle this new red and taste the…”

Cole landed a kick to Deker’s stomach sending him flying. Cole rushed forwards and the swords clanged against one another. Cole stepped back suddenly. Deker smirked.

“My head,” Cole reminded with a smile as the Crystal Saber and Spin Sword disappeared to be replaced with Uramasa. Deker looked from his empty hands to Cole holding his weapon.

“Leave,” Cole told him, “Leave me now.”

Deker reached out his hand. Uramasa started to move towards him, but Cole held on tightly. Deker frowned.

“Last chance,” Cole told him.

“You will be defeated,” Deker glared right before Cole used Uramasa to deliver a fatal blow.

Deker disappeared.

Cole stared down at the sword in his hands, “My head.”

The world went white again and Jayden groaned as he opened his eyes to take in the forest he had been in before he threw his symbol at Cole. Had it worked? He tilted his head to take in the man he’d thought of as Deker and now realized was Cole. Cole wasn’t moving. Jayden twisted, shifted closer and saw the Uramasa was no longer there, instead a morpher lay near Cole. Jayden picked up the morpher, it resembled his own, but felt like a color that wasn’t his, wasn’t red. He shifted closer still, ignoring the melee of voices that surrounded them. Cole’s eyes were closed, his breathing slow, but he wasn’t moving.

“Cole?” Jayden asked, eyes darting over the prone figure laying near him.

Cole was still.

“You beat him, you kicked him out,” Jayden encouraged, “You're…”

It wasn’t doing anything, Jayden realized. Cole was still lost in his own head. He needed a way out. He needed to be shown the way out.

Symbol power. His symbol, it was still…if he could draw it out of Cole.

Jayden leaned over and looked at Cole. He placed the morpher in Cole’s hand, closed Cole’s fingers around it and then leaned forward. How did…Jayden closed his eyes, tried to feel the red power symbol that he had placed in Cole’s body, tried to call it back to him. Jayden opened his eyes, stared down at Cole for a moment before leaning in and pressing his lips to Cole’s.

The kiss was chaste, brief, but it allowed Jayden to draw his red ranger power back into himself.

Cole sighed, then blinked up at him.

Jayden smiled. There were unanswered questions, fellow rangers he’d never met standing around waiting for answers, but there was also Cole and a team to get back to.


End file.
